A Well-Dressed Outing
by Animaddie
Summary: Ichigo has to do a favour for Rukia in order to gain some information she holds, little does he know he'll be in for a night of truly-glorious dining, dancing and dashing-ness. (o.O) And that's just the beginning. Sorry, Summary totally sucks, I'll just say it involves Bleach, and I suppose something akin to James Bond - except with Ceilidh dancing and a certain band . . .
1. A 'Dicky Bow'

Hey, a bit of a random spurt of imagination, hopefully will carry this on.

P.S

I Really love the idea of men in _proper_ suits 8D

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"Yo, Ichigo"

A smirk and a gush of air was all it took for him to start seeing her in slow-motion, standing, arms folded and dominant on top of the railings at the top of his school. Her newly cut hair flew around her head as though she was controlling the weather. She quickly jumped off and he was brought back to reality by a swift kick to the face – he had long since come to terms with this being their usual way of greeting, she would hit him around the face;

'Slap Slap'

And finally punch him square in it;

'Thud'

And then say;

'What you lookin' like a moron for?'

Before he could finally answer, after falling backwards onto his hands;

'Oi midget! You nearly broke my nose that time!'

'Not likely, I take pity on the weak'

For a moment he nodded, before death-glaring at her after realising her words. She smirked

'Oh lighten up, frowny, I have some interesting news for you - that is if you want to hear it' she teased with her eyes. Sometimes that girl infuriated him to no end.

'What do you mean? of course I want to hear it' and so her eyes gleamed

'You should never say that willingly, boy. I will tell you . . . if you do me a favour' She grinned maliciously, while Ichigo tried not to anime-rage and punch the floor. Stupid midget, how could he think this would come without a price?!

'How do I know the information is worth it?' He tried, not able to master the ability to bluff like she had (he had taught her poker once . . . his greatest regret)

She walked swiftly to his side, jumping next to his shoulder, and crouching to whisper in his ear

'Oh it's worth it, Ichigo, you'll just have to trust me'

Did he ever mention she drove him completely _insane_, in EVERY way? (Not that he would admit it in, _some_ ways)

He decided to give up, it wasn't even worth trying when she was this gleeful

'Oh what do you want me to do?' he sighed, and she stood up, replacing her grin, with the usual soft face she had

'Aw, thought you'd give it more than that!'

'I'm bored'

'Fine, well, as for the favour to me – it's actually for me and Nii-sama' (He rolled his eyes) 'hey! You're lucky you've been invited!' he butted in before she could carry on

'Invited?'

'Yes, invited'

'To what?'

'I was getting to that! It's the favour I need you to do for this information, otherwise I know you won't come!'

'Well, what is it?'

'JESUS, A BALL! No-'

'What makes you think I wouldn't come anyway?'

She deadpanned

'Eh?'

'What makes you think I wouldn't come to Byakuya's ball?'

'You're really asking me that?'

He was puzzled

'Yeah'

It seemed as though the life had dropped out of her face.

'Ichigo . . . You complained when I asked you if you could come with me to pick out one _dress_, why would you suddenly be all for a _Ball_?' She queried, before her face went back to normal, and she turned a slight pinkish shade and faced away, twiddling with her thumbs – this was new to him

'And anyway, it's not Bya-Nii Sama's Ball, it's er . . . mine' she blushed. He felt his feathers ruffle - that 'dress shopping' had him sweating under the collar, after seeing her in just _two._

'Hey, that shop lady had you trying on some dodgy stu-'

'It was formal-wear' she deadpanned- obviously having heard this before

'That red dress was TOO SHORT!' he blush-yelled 'And anyway, if it was for you, I'd come without asking, why'd you think you have to mention Byakuya? That puts me off not entices me in'

She turned a further pink

'It was a TINY bit above the knee! And besides, I have no cleavage, so it didn't matter!' Ichigo turned scarlet

'tttt-that's not the ppoint! ' (She said 'Cleavage!') 'No dress should cling that well to someone's body!' (he had nosebleeds just remembering it - her training had certainly blessed her with a perfect figure – especially on the bottom (*Cough pun) ) This time Rukia turned scarlet, all coolness from before cast to the wind

'It did not CLING, it fit! But- well, does that m-mean you'll come?' She looked directly at him, her eyes sincere and hopeful. She really had no idea the effect her eyes could have on him. He stood up, recovering for a moment, before lifting his head to face her, smiling genuinely, taking her breath away

'Of course, midget'

She smiled softly at him, eyes sparkling. His cheeks flushed again. And he scratched the back of his head, looking away to hide his face

'so, erm, if this is a ball, does this mean I'm required to wear a suit?' she seemed to shock herself awake again

'Ah, that's another part of the favour' she grimaced, twiddling her thumbs again. He turned to face her, expression: questioning

'I need to take you shopping for three' His face dropped

'THREE? But I couldn't afford o-' Rukia interrupted, flashing a card in her hand

'You forget I'm adopted into the richest clan in soul society' His eyes widened

'Rukia you ca-'

'Oh shush, consider it a congratulations gift from me!'

'Congratulations gift?'

'Did I forget to mention that information I have for you is good info?'

Ichigo questioned with his eyes

'Relax, I'll tell you after the ball – first, we need to get you sorted.' And with that, she ran, jumped, grabbed his head, and pulled him over the rails and finally into the streets below. It was a good job he trusted her.

**The Kuchiki Manor 16:00 – The Dinner Suit**

Rukia had to give it to herself, she had done well, in one day she had managed to find Ichigo three suits, 2 pairs of shoes and taught him how to tie a real bow-tie – the last one was a little difficult however, she remembered all the fuss;

_Flashback_

'_Now, come closer to me'_

'_Eh?' _

'_Ichigo, just step forward so I can reach your neck!' she bit – by this point she'd had enough of his whining, 'Oh this shirt was too expensive' 'for a pair of SHOES?!' 'while these socks are comfy, they are NOT worth THAT much!' – She'd just wished he'd shut up and let her buy everything – she had, but with the cost of much worrying and fretting – did he not realise she owed him, was congratulating, and had enough money to buy him 900 more of the same gear, on the one card? Fuming, she threw the length of silk around his neck, and crossed it tightly. _

'_chegh, R-rukiaegh, you're stranghleng megh' she heard, and saw the twitch of his eye, for a moment she thought of just holding it there until he died, but then she remembered her Kuchiki-need-to-be-cool-as-a-cucumber-demeanour, and let off on the pressure . . . a little. She heard a gasp of air, and watched him rub his neck _

'_Christ, I thought you were gonna kill me!' her eyes shadowed_

'_You'd only end up in soul society, I'd just find you there' The coldness of her voice, sent shivers up his spine, he must remember never to piss this girl off. She took a deep breath, and looked up at him, holding the two ends of the tie across each other._

'_Now, hold both ends of the tie ensuring the piece in your left hand is a little shorter, okay?' She looked up, as he watched, and nodded, quite enjoying the feeling of her hands occasionally brushing across his chest._

'_Once you have your lengths, cross the longer piece over the shorter one and tuck it under-ways through the little hole it makes at the top, and pull it tight, so the pieces end up the same length- does that make sense?' She questioned, furrowing her eyebrows slightly after demonstrating with the bow-tie 'I know I'm not the best at explaining it'_

_He smiled 'No no, I've got it, under-and-out right?' She smiled back_

'_Exactly! Now, get what is now the right-hand piece, and cross it over the left, so it looks like a 'T' and then take the dangly-bit and place it over the lengthways piece, so it still looks like a 'T' – just with the dangly-bit in front this time' Shelooked up at him, ensuring he understood, and he nodded, still smiling gently at her, sending butterflies though her stomach._

'_R-right, now comes the fiddly-bit, first fold the two horizontal ends of the 'T' together, so you have something resembling more of an 'i' and tuck the remaining dangly-bit through the gap between the material above the dot of the 'i'. She demonstrated as such. Looking up with a half-defeated expression_

'_You can't have understood that bit' Ichigo replied, by shaking his head_

'_Naw I got it – seeing you do it made it make sense' her eyes widened_

'_Christ, you _are_ a fast learner, took me about a week' She chuckled and he smiled back_

'_now all you do is;' he felt her hands fiddle around a bit 'tweak it until it's an even little dicky-bow' She grinned, pleased for remembering how to tie them after all this time. His face dropped_

'_Did you just call it a 'dicky-bow'?' She looked up at him, confused_

'_Yes? They call them that in England, or so I'm told'_

'_They are?!'_

'_Yea, something to do with cocked-rhyming slang or something' He burst out laughing_

'_Cocked-Rhyming slang?'_

'_yeah?'_

'_you mean, 'Cockney-rhyming slang?'' He sniggered, and she slapped him on the arm, oh shut-up! How would you know, if you've never even tied one before?!'_

'_English is my favourite subject, muppet, and I just haven't heard that term for them, wait till my father hears!' _

End Of flashback

She smiled at the memory, and placed her hand over her heart, throughout the entire time, her heart had been pounding with his proximity, she could feel the slow rise and fall of his chest, and the gentle exhalation of air on her hair as he breathed softly.

'CRAP!' She looked at the time, 'I have to run!'

**16:05 Kuchiki Ballroom**

The room had been decorated with exquisite sofas and paintings around the room, making it not unlike a Victorian dining parlour (believe it or not, the Kuchiki's took pride in honouring the cultures of other countries through time – after all, some residents belonged to this era. This had to be one of Rukia's favourite themes – mostly for the fact the men had to dress in dashing suits, coats, tails and Kilts, it was why she'd chose it.

She smiled, and entered the room, heads turned, some with hands clasping glasses of expensive Brandies and Whiskeys, others, just with the typical one-arm-behind-the-back etiquette, she noted, however, they had all paused to welcome their host, she nodded at them politely, and let them get back to their previous activities, before losing interest, and searching across the gatherings of heads, to finally find her Orange-haired accomplice. It wasn't hard considering he was stood next to a burst of red a little above his own, both staring, seemingly startled, directly at her. As she approached she took in what they were wearing. While she had taken Ichigo shopping, she had insisted he try on his garments separately, so she would be surprised when she finally saw him dressed up properly (She had left it to the shop manager to ensure Ichigo looked as fine as possible, handing her a hefty tip, to guarantee she would – it wasn't necessary, her purchases had bumped the shopkeeper up a few hundred-thousand yen, alone. It seemed the shopkeeper had kept her promise. Ichigo, looked positively _outstanding. _

'Black really is his colour' She thought taking in, how his height, the elegant jacket meeting the midst of his thighs, the shirt subtly revealing the toned body he had beneath, how he had pushed his hair forward, adding another three years to his age, he looked mature, sophisticated, and absolutely dashing. He seemed to finally notice her presence, and rested his face into his usual neutral frown, holding one arm behind his back, Renji not far behind. She finally managed to take a quick glance at Renji, and she had to admit, had Ichigo not been there, he would've probably stolen all the female attention. He had opted to wear a highland tradition of the kilt. He had recently discovered he'd been born in the rugged highlands of Scotland before dying from a bad fall from a cliff as a child. And such, after research into the country, he had begun to love the culture of his old background and finally deciding to research his clan, and the colours and symbols of it, which as such, were now decorating him and his garments. His stocky build and height, gave him the perfect physique to fit this formal wear, and already Rukia could see at least half the room glancing their way, unable to decide between who was hotter – Ichigo or Renji. For her, Ichigo stole the limelight by only a margin.

She walked up to meet them midway, and turned to Renji

'The Dirk, socks, Sporran, everything! How'd you manage to find it all?' She grinned at him. For some reason she noticed his cheeks pinken slightly.

'I was interested, that's all really'

'Fair enough' She smiled, sending him to turn an even brighter shade of pink. Confused she turned to Ichigo, who seemed to be locked on to her

'Really, what is with all the staring? Have I got something on my face?' She flustered. Finally Ichigo seemed to snap out of it

'Rukia, have you seen yourself?' her stomach dropped

'What is it?'

He shook his head 'how does she not know how beautiful she looks?'

'Never mind, just stick with me and Renji all night, okay?' Renji nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder

'There's a lot of men who will want to find you alone tonight, Rukia'

Her eyes widened

'but we haven't even had anything to eat yet!'

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Fin for now – I really need to go to bed O.o Hope you enjoyed it a little!


	2. Cobalt blue

Sorry for the rather abrupt ending on that last chapter, it was about two in the morning, and I had to be up at seven, despite the random flow of imagination, which was annoying xD ANYWAY! I need to thank you! Three reviews! Amazing! Thanks to; **ArsinoetheXXVII**, **RavenKurochiki **and **neigewhitemoon**! I hope this next chapter is good enough for you! :D

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**The evening Suit**

'But we haven't even had anything to eat yet!' Rukia whined, eyes wide and pleading. Both Ichigo and Renji rolled their eyes

'Rukia, you'll get your food, you're just gonna have to stick with us all night, okay?' Ichigo frowned. Rukia scowled and folded her arms

'Ichigo, Kurosaki. I am MORE than capable of chaperoning myself to this ball, it is MINE after all, besides, I want to dance, and have a good time, that also involves other people, so you're both just going to have to lump it!' She exclaimed at them both, swiftly brushing Renji's hand off her shoulder and storming away to find her table. Ichigo and Renji looked at each other, and sighed exasperatedly

'She has no idea she's about to be heckled by nearly every man in this room, does she?' Renji exhaled. Ichigo shook his head and folded his arms, scowling.

'Nope'

'So what're we gonna do?'

'Tail her every move'

'Gotcha'

Ichigo looked round to see Renji smirking at him and he questioned

'I forget, why it is you're so concerned about her anyway?' Renji raised an eyebrow

'You forget I grew up with her numbskull' he folded his arms also

'Besides, the idea of any of them men leering on her pisses me off' He frowned, Ichigo looked to him, somewhat surprised at his honesty, yet again he forgot how genuine Renji actually was

'Yeah, me too' He finished. Renji glanced at him, and they both held each others' eyes for a moment, before swiftly nodding at each other

'Let's do this' Ichigo smirked

'Aye' Renji grinned

At that moment, a small hand-bell rang somewhere at the other side of the room

'Ladies and gentlemen, if you please make your way to the hall, the seating plans for dinner are laid on a table, and you are requested to seat upon them within the next ten minutes, thank you'

Renji rolled his eyes, as he saw a quick flash of white (Rukia) speed to the hall

'It doesn't take much persuading her does it?' Ichigo chuckled

'Nope, but me neither' He grinned, and both boys made their way to the hall, a swift flock of giggling girls following them not far behind.

**19:00: The Grand Hall **

Ichigo turned to Renji, eyeing him up and down with scrutiny

'That's unfair, how come I had to go and change into this garb while you get to stay in that?' he gestured to Renji's Kilt. Renji chuckled

'I take it Rukia forced you to go shopping?' Ichigo nodded

'Ha, I did that once, I actually have another three suits back in my quarters, but this time I just asked the captain for some money, and went myself' Ichigo blanched

'_Byakuya_ gave you money? Wait. You ASKED for money? I thought Lieutenants were pretty well off?' he ridiculed

'They are, but this was my birthday present' Ichigo was startled yet again

'What?!' Renji rolled his eyes

'Jeez you numpty, Byakuya promised me the money for something I wanted for my birthday'

'He got you a BIRTHDAY PRESENT?'

'Yes! How is that so hard to believe?' Ichigo was flabbergasted

'Because . .he's, HIM! You just- he just – DAGH that's annoying! Why didn't I get one?' Renji smirked

'Cause you're not his lieutenant'

'But he OWES me'

'Like he'd ever admit that.' Renji deadpanned. Ichigo sighed

'I guess not. That's still not fair, I could've saved all this time getting changed and just bought my own suit'

Renji chuckled

'I don't know, looks to me like you're quite the popular one' He grinned motioning to a gathering of newly-dressed girls not far behind them. Ichigo sighed

'Like I care about their opinion'

'Only Rukia's, eh?' Renji murmured, grinning

'Ye-OI! No way like I care of her opinion!'

'That didn't even make any sense, strawberry boy, and are you sure about that?' he grinned, nodding in the direction away from the girls, behind Ichigo

'Huh?'

'Look'

And Ichigo turned around, walking towards him could only be described as something out of another world, yet it was Rukia. It was most definitely Rukia. He gazed in awe at her appearance – she looked even more beautiful than in that white outfit from before! Time seemed to slow down as she walked towards them, he could pick out even the tiniest detail. He began at the top; her hair had been curled into little ringlets that elegantly flowed around her face, a small blue slide pinning one side, and her usual stray middle-bit, to the side of her face, giving a look of the 1920's lady. He watched as her eyes slowly flicked from him to Renji, noticing the soft blue shadow delicately highlighting her eyes, and the soft pencil enhancing them, how her eyelashes fluttered with the extra length, and her every glance, how her cheeks had been delicately brushed with rose, as were her lips. He glanced to her dress, noticing how it enhanced all her features, making her look like something ethereal, with how the short lace sleeves of the dress softly graced her arms, and from how the floaty material began just after the lace covering over her bust, and ended at the floor. Cobalt blue truly suited her.

As she finally met them, time seemed to revert back to normal, and he met her eyes, which were appearing somewhat self conscious, and then she flicked to look back at the floor. He watched her nervously tuck a peice of hair (that wasn't there) behind her ear.

'Erm, do I l-look okay?' She queried, meeting his eyes once again, anxious.

He couldn't speak. As he tried to muster up his missing voicebox, the seconds ticked by, and he watched as her eyes grew more and more worried, Renji, however, saved him, clamping a hand on his shoulder.

'You look p-perfect Rukia' If he hadn't stuttered, Ichigo wouldn't have looked at him then, noticing how his face was turning in the opposite direction to Rukia, with a pink hue to his cheeks. Ichigo looked back to Rukia, whose eyes were still anxious, and nodded, still unable to muster the ability to remember how to talk.

Rukia smiled softly, eyes still somewhat anxious, but happy, and right then, Ichigo felt it. The dropping sensation of realising you're in love with someone and will never be able to let them go. He wondered how he'd never realised it before - this girl had _changed his world_, _stopped the rain_, gave him_ the ability to protect_, and not just once, not even twice, but every time he felt down she was there, with a firm hand and a large heart, ready to drag him back up by any means possible. This was the gir-no, _woman,_ he wanted to spend the rest of his life, and _death_, with.

He felt his voice come back to him

'You look beautiful' He murmered, looking dead into her eyes, and before he knew it

'WHAM!'

She'd punched him square in the gut sending him right, and he spun to her, flabberghasted

'What the he-' But of course, then he noticed, bright red, and glaring at the floor, she was stood in front of him

'D-d-don't be so s-s-tupid, Ichigo!' he grinned. Almost laughing at her inability to see her own beauty

'maybe you're right Rukia, I'm probably just blind' he teased, earning another wallop from both her, and Renji

'Don't be such a brat, Kurosaki!' He yelled, as Ichigo coughed, half laughing.

'DINGALINGLING'

They each turned to see a man holding the bell.

'Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to announce that the night's activities have been posted on the board to the right of me (he gestured), if you would like to have a look' he smiled, and walked out of the room. Ichigo was baffled

'They have, a rota?' He scrutinised, before Rukia turned to the men, restored to her usual coolness (but Ichigo could see the slight nervousness she held within her eyes) He couldn't understand it.

'C'mon, otherwise we won't know what's happening' She said. Renji answered, confused

'But it's your ball – I thought you arranged everything?' She just glared

'I asked for what I thought would be fun to do on the night, I was denied a half-hour bunny handling experience, so I don't know what's happening and when' Both men blanched – bunny-handling-experience? Ichigo felt a cool soft grip suddenly encase his hand, and he turned to see her dragging him and Renji to the rota.

As they traversed across the room, both Ichigo and Renji began to realise why Rukia looked so nervous. Every single man in the room was gazing at her, practically love-struck – even people they knew, Hisagi, Kira, even Yumichika ('So beautiful!'). Suddenly Ichigo felt somewhat pissed-off, and grasped her hand firmer – no-one was going to get anywhere near her tonight. He hadn't. However, realised they'd stopped at the rota. All he heard was Renji;

'you have to be kidding me' And then Rukia

'What are you on about Renji? This is going to be fantastic!' She said gleefully, Ichigo turned to see what all the commotion was about

'What's up with you Renji?' Renji Handed him a card, on which, the night's activities were displayed;

Kuchiki Rukia's Courtship Ball:

19:30 – Pas de deux – Kuchiki Rukia and Kuchiki Byakuya and Guests

20:00 – Tea and Scones

20:30 – Ballet interpretation of The 'Yule ball' Chapter in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Ichigo sweatdropped – he'd forgotten how obsessed she was with her newly-found 'human literature')

21:00 Dress change

21:30-23:30 Ceilidh Dancing (Yep, that is how it's spelt -.-') – **Mandatory** for all Guests and Hosts

23:30 onwards – Alcohol and Social Banter

Ichigo looked up, one eyebrow raised, staring at Rukia

'What in God's name is Keelid-dancing?' Rukia frowned at him, while, surprisingly, he earned a wallop on the head from Renji

'It's pronounced 'Keighley' you twat' Ichigo stared, half insane

'How the feck, does that say 'Keighley'?' He stared, while Renji just rolled his eyes

'It's Gallic you fool'

'You mean this is from Scotland?'

'Oohh aye' Renji grinned, before standing straight, looking very pleased with himself

'I've managed to learn and perfect every dance already' Ichigo began to feel worried

'you mean there's different dances?'

'Yep' Renji grinned further.

'Don't worry Ichigo, I haven't learned them either, I just remember vaguely doing it once at a party Kaien-dono held once many years ago, and having a lot of fun' Ichigo stared – it was rare she ever mentioned Kaien – especially in normal conversation. He noticed as her eyes seemed to be far away, but for once, they weren't gloomy, but happy and exited. He scratched the back of his head

'Well, it _sounds_ like mental torture, but I suppose I'll give it a go. Also, why's it mandatory?'

At this Rukia grinned, a devilish twinkle in her eye

'Well for one, it is hellishly fun, and two, I really want to see Nii-sama do it'

Ichigo almost fell over, Rukia _never_, played tricks or _anything_ on Byakuya, that was just wishful thinking.

He looked back at the invitation and chuckled

'Alcohol and Social banter? You mean the part where everyone gets pissed and starts chatting shit?' Rukia grinned and Renji laughed

'Obviously. Oh, I'm letting you know now, me, you and Renji are gonna have a drinking competition' She bordered on Cheshire-cat-ness, while Ichigo began to sweat somewhat

'A drinking competition . . .?'

'Yup. I've never had one before, and I know you and Renji haven't either, so it should be interesting'

'Hey, I've drank before! I've been drunk!'

Rukia sweatdropped

'You must be so proud. I just meant it would be fun to see who's got the most endurance out of the three of us, and what you're like drunk – I've seen Renji once or twice'

'Ha! You think you're going to be any competition to me? You're a girl, Rukia! And since when?' Ichigo smirked

Renji shook his head 'Stupid boy'

Rukia glared

'Right, you're definitely on now!' She held out her hand and he grabbed it firmly, grinning still

'Oh and I saw Renji drunk when we were about twelve. You forget I was born in Rukongai, _boy' _She grinned. Suddenly Ichigo didn't feel as confident

'Heh, I'll still beat you' he feigned

'Of course.' She grinned 'Now, If you'll excuse me, a need to go and dance with my brother.'

Ichigo sweatdropped, but let her pass. Renji leaned to him once Rukia was out of earshot

'What's your normal limit?'

'Three cups of sake'

Renji nodded, expressionless

'You're gonna go down like a rock'

Ichigo looked like he'd just sucked a lemon.

'Oh piss off kilt-man'

'Heheh'

'Oh yeah, I never actually got round to asking her, what IS this ball all about anyway?' Ichigo queried. Renji just stared

'Are you kidding me?'

'Huh?'

'Did you not just read the activities list?'

'yeah'

'What did it say at the top?'

'Huh? Like I can remember'

Renji hit him square in the face with the card

'Read the top line'

'Kuchiki Rukia's Courtship Ball?'

. . .

'COURTSHIP BALL?! She's being wedded off?!'

'And we have a winner!'

Ichigo felt his stomach plummet, and span to Renji, who he noticed, also didn't look particularly pleased.

'B-but, Byakuya married outside of nobility!'

'And so will Rukia'

'huh?! But thi-'

'Ichigo look who's been invited'

Ichigo looked around the room, finally recognising all the staring faces from before

'Hisagi, Kira, Yumichica, Hanataro, Hitsugiya!' And the list went on. Ichigo was speechless

'B-but there are girls here'

'It's look a bit strange if it were all men, don't you think?'

'But why didn't she say anything?' he queried, saddened at the fact she'd pretty much not invited him as a Suitor (No matter how much he hated the idea)

Renji stared at him

'Are you really that stupid? She's saving you the worry of being paired off with her – she's never been requested for courtship or whatnot, so she, by Kuchiki law, has to hold this ball and invite all eligible suitors. Byakuya tried to stop it obviously, but the elders were having none of it. The most he could do was have them allow her invite people she was friends with or knew, along with their suitors' he spat the last sentence bitterly

'Byakuya tried to stop this?'

'You heard me, didn't you?'

Ichigo felt somewhat numb. This happened because he couldn't even pluck up the courage to say he had even some kind of feelings for her?

Renji stared at him

'What are you looking so glum for? You wouldn't have been able to do anything about it – No matter what happens, Byakuya will be damned if he sees her married off to some guy she doesn't love, if it costs him his life – he said so himself'

'I'm just annoyed she didn't say anything to me. He _said_ that?'

'Ichigo, you know what she's like – if it involves her and saving her neck, she doesn't want to involve anyone she cares about. And Yep – when he told me to come, she wasn't even going to invite you, but Byakuya told me he wanted you there, cause he knew you'd help me look out for her'

'So that's why she said it was a favour?' He had to admit, he felt shit – the idea of not being invited to a ball involving Rukia and possible suitors, but then again, it was his own damn fault. He looked at the floor and clenched his first. 'I'll be damned if I see her wed off to anyone too' he decided. He looked back up to Renji, a new resolve in his heart

'So basically were here to sabotage any chance she has of interacting with the other men' Renji grinned

'Exactly'

Ichigo grinned back.

'Let this 'Pas de deux' commence!'

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Next chapter will be 'The Ceilidh Dance' (If you don't know what this is/haven't done it, you'll find out in the next chapter, and my god have you missed out on a load of fun and laughs :P -If you recognise the term 'Gay Gordons' you'll know what I'm on about ;) :D I hope those of you who read this enjoyed it! Sorry it was a bit filler-ish, but I needed to pad out the story a bit to keep it going Dx


	3. Ceilidh Dancing

Okay, so a massive thank you to** noelleheartfairytail**, **moonsnow warrior** and** ArsinoetheXXVII** for reviewing the last chapter! Really guys, it means so much! *hugs* And to those of you who favourited and followed, massive *hugs* too, couldn't carry on without you!

Well, here it is and I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Ichigo and Renji joined the crowd forming around the dance floor in the middle of the room. It was the room where they had eaten, but all the tables and chairs had been cleared away in minutes. Ichigo had to admit, the Kuchiki's certainly knew how to host something. As they pushed through the men oggling at his friend, him and Renji finally made it to the front, both facing the pair who were now at the opposite side of the room, chattering to the elders. Ichigo watched as he saw Rukia chuckle elegantly and wondered how he'd never noticed his feelings before - as cheesy as it sounded. Renji, to the side of him appeared to be annoyed at something. Ichigo turned to see what was bugging him, and found that directly opposite Hisagi was walking over to Rukia, a strange look in his face – as though he was seeing the light for the first time. He Reached Rukia, and beckoned her to lean in, as he whispered something in her ear. Both Renji and Ichigo huffed, anxious to know what exactly it was Hisagi was muttering. Rukia quickly glanced at Ichigo, and then looked back to Hisagi's shoulder, a strange expression on her face. She muttered something back, and they both stood straight, Hisagi had a neutral expression, as if he was trying to hide something, and Rukia looked straight to him, also wearing a similar expression. As He turned away, Ruki exhaled, and began to look far away, this, whatever had happened, had pissed Ichigo off, but just as he was about to storm over, demand to know what Hisagi said, and then proceed to beat the living crap out of him, Byakuya motioned Rukia to the middle of the dance floor. Ichigo was livid. He'd find out as soon as they got to that Ceilidh dancing part of the evening, no matter what.

As Rukia reached Byakuya, the noise and anticipation of the night died down, and for a moment, Rukia felt relaxed, if there was anything new she'd discovered, it was the sense of security her brother had given her ever since Ichigo's infiltration on the soul society. She sighed to herself

'Yet another thing I have to thank that strawberry for'

Byakuya stood in front of her, seemingly able to feel her nerves, and for once, relaxed his expression and smiled softly at her for a moment. While he didn't show it often, this little girl meant the world to him, if there was anything he would do, no matter what, it would be to protect this girl at all costs – something he should've done even before that brat showed up. He clasped her hand gently, and placed the other on her waist, as she reached up and placed her own on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, it'll be over soon" he murmured, reassuring her. Rukia flicked her eyes up to him and smiled.

"I don't mind, Nii-sama, if it's dancing with you" she said gently – and she meant it - she really did love her adoptive brother, no matter what other people said. She knew he was just a conflicted soul who took time to understand his own way. She'd be exactly the same if he was in her position at that time, she'd decided. She was never really angry at him anyway - it had only made it easier to accept death.

"Hai" he responded.

The dance lasted for about twenty minutes, and if there was anything Ichigo had learnt from that experience, it was that 1. Byakuya really could look after his sister, and 2. Rukia really couldn't dance, no matter how hard she tried – yet that just made him like her more, no she wasn't perfect, and couldn't do everything, and yes may sometimes need that hand of support, but that just made her feel that little bit more human to him. Renji seemed to think the same from his perspective – he was grinning like an idiot, obviously ready to insult her at her awful dancing, but there was a softness behind his eyes that could only be described as admiration - he loved her, obviously, and her imperfections, just as much as Ichigo.

'Shit'

Ichigo looked back to the dance floor, which was now littered with other couples flitting around almost as clumsily as Rukia had been. He frowned when he couldn't see her, scouring the floor he searched for her, but couldn't see that bright blue anywhere. He began to get worried

"Renji, I can-DAAAAAARGGGHHH" He jumped a mile in the air. _Someone _had grabbed his ribs and squeezed them tight from behind. He spun around to meet the culprit and met a now, howling Rukia, laughing at his reaction with tears in her eyes

"That was too easy" She chortled, wiping a tear from her cheek

Renji grinned at her

"That's cause he's a moron" He chuckled, flicking his eyes, daringly, at Ichigo. Ichigo scowled

"Shut-up, wasn't _that_ funny" he pouted, folding his arms

"Awww, did I offend someone?" Rukia mocked, pretending to pout, before bursting into another grin, unable to keep a straight face.

"Shtup, midget" he replied, grabbing her in a headlock, placing a knuckled fist to her head, as she squirmed, trying to get out of his grasp. An evil glint flickered in his eye

"Now apologise before I wreck your hair"

Rukia grappled, alarmed

"NO!"

"Hehe, you sure midget, my fist is on your head" he sniggered, rolling his knuckles across her skull to emphasise his point. Rukia grappled more, getting more and more flustered

"I will NEVER apologise!" She exclaimed. The glint in Ichigo's eye flashed.

"Okay" he replied, lifting his fist off her head slightly

"PREPEARE" He shouted, bringing his fist down, before, at the last moment

"NONONONONOOOO! I'm SORRY I'msorryI'msoory!" She exclaimed, squeezing her eyes shut, waiting for the impact, grasping the arm he'd locked around her head.

But it never came. She opened her eyes, to find he'd let go of her head and was just watching her, completely amused with himself. She quickly stood up straight and brushed off her dress, slightly messy-haired she glared at him, pointing a finger at him.

"This isn't over, boy" She drawled, her eyes narrowing, before turning on her heel out of the room, off to change for the last time.

Ichigo stood for a moment, frozen.

"She can be scary sometimes, eh?" He heard Renji at the side of him, it snapped him out of his position

"l-like hell she is" he replied.

-(Line Thing)

**The Tuxedo **

Ichigo entered the ballroom for the final time, the room had a few new additions. First was a small group of men at one end, cluttered with instruments such as fiddles and drums, and another, was another band at the other end of the room, the typical rock-ish get-up, however one of them appeared to be topless, and wearing a kilt somewhat similar to Renjis. They were all sat on charis beside the guitars and such, chattering amongst themselves.

'Funny' Ichigo thought

'I don't remember any mention of a band in that card' he thought. He gazed at the topless man, he seemed awfully familiar, but he couldn't place from where. Then he saw the drumkit.

"No effing way" he exclaimed, jaw to the floor, staring

"She can't've"

"Can't've what, berry=head?" a quaint voice said at his side. He flipped round to see her, and for the third time that night, almost fell-over from her impact. This time she was wearing a knee-length, skater-skirt Chinese-red dress. His mind flew out of his brain. The top was again the short-sleeved Chinese design, and the material had the golden flowers stitched all around it. It was a mix of traditional Chinese design, and the modern dress out now.

He nearly fell over. Rukia looked, dare he say it, sexy. Her hair had been tied back with chopsticks with small pieces of hair framing her face here and about – her usual stray bit back in the middle. Her eyes had been traced with a red shadow, and then black eyeliner, contrasting immensely with her natural, almost violet, eyes making them stand out about five times more. Her lips had been coated in a dark brown-reddish colour, making her skin seem even paler (but prettier, somehow – not that it needed it) and then her legs. Ichigo could feel the rush in his head. He'd never really noticed her legs before, perhaps it was because they were mostly hidden, but even then, he couldn't believe they belonged to her. With the red heels she wore, her legs appeared to have been carved by a god - there was no-way she could be this attractive without anyone noticing. Ichigo almost felt guilty for even thinking that – she's always been attractive, it was just that no-one had decided to pay enough attention to her when she was mostly covered up. He stared, completely unable to even form coherent thoughts.

Rukia was beginning to get annoyed, Ichigo just seemed to have frozen with a semi-horrified look on his face (or so she thought) surely she didn't look that bad? Waving a hand in front of his face, she decided to kick some sense into the plum – she was getting pissed off. Right as she turned and lifted her leg back, he seemed to snap out of it. Quick as a flash, he grabbed her leg (much to Rukia's alarm) pushed it down, and stepped in close to her. All she could her, was a soft

"Do not, do that again" Her face, already red from his touch, turned darker, who was he to tell her what to do?

"Oi! You were just staring like some utter moron! If I look that bad at least tell me, before I get pissed off at you, and I won't kick you!"

He gazed down at her, and Rukia's heart almost stopped working right then. He had this intense, lust-no, it couldn't be, mixed with an almost disappointed, anguished expression on his face. Yet his eyes were burning, a flame so hot she could almost not bear to hold them. They flicked to the floor almost as soon as they were upon her, and he answered

"Jesus Rukia, you're so stupid." He muttered, pulling her closer. She almost squealed out of surprise. But then she felt a hand softly placed on her upper leg, before she could even react, he gripped it somewhat harder and spoke

"There's a slit in your dress Rukia." She felt his thumb caress her skin. Completely flushed and overwhelmed, she stumbled backwards out of his grip. He didn't try to hold it, but looked at her, with a somewhat guarded expression. She decided to respond, still completely messed-up

"W-w-what a-are you doing pervert!?" She exclaimed, for a moment something flashed across his eyes before he grinned

"Hey, not my fault you decided to put on a dress that reveals you're underwear when you lift up your leg" He emphasised the last words, and she understood.

'Fuck! Fuckity fuck!' She shouted to herself, she'd almost flashed the whole congregation. She could only hope Ichigo hadn't seen the chappy-themed set she'd decided to wear with this dress – even she knew it was a little different, but she'd wanted the chance to feel sexy, just once, the chappy-knickers were just a weird sort of comforter.

'However, he must've noticed' she thought, after all he'd touched her le-

'NO nO! Must NOT remember that!' she again, shouted to herself, her legs felt like jelly even at the mere memory of it.

'Damn that boy to the deepest depths of hell!' She thought-muttered

'Making me feel all . . . weird . . . about him'

'You mean sexu-SHUT UP SHIRAYUKI' she yelled to her Zanpaktuo, as the said woman only chuckled in the distance. She didn't often yell at her Zanpaktuo, or even abbreviate her name, but when she teased her about that boy, my, could the petite Shinigami swear. Obviously Sode no Shirayuki found this whole side of Rukia hilarious, and enjoyed teasing her, feeling the glee her wielder held when thinking about the young strawberry. Naturally, she wanted Rukia to be happy all the time, so would jump at any chance thrown, and besides, she had to admit the Zanpaktuo the boy held in his soul was very, interesting.

'Just because you fancy Zangetsu' Rukia thought to her sword. 'Shirayuki' blanched

'No I don't'

'Yes you do'

'No I don't'

"Ruuukiiiiaaaa"

'Do'

RUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuukkkiiaaa aaa"

'Don't'

"OI RUKIA!"

Rukia jumped out of her inner argument to face a crowd of people facing her, Ichigo and Renji at the front, each with a semi-constipated (in her opinion) expression on their face.

"What?" She said to the strawberry who shouted

"The Ceilidh dancing is about to start" He said to her.

She quickly jumped from her position, swiftly walking towards them, grabbing the first arm she could find, and began into the ballroom. Ichigo turned to Renji

"Do you reckon she's realised she just grabbed Kenpachi?"

Renji looked towards her, still dragging Kenpatchi away – who was yelling something about 'surprisingly strong' and 'Fighting one day'. And back to Ichigo

"Nope."

Ichigo chuckled, and then realised

"What is he even doing here anyway?"

"Unohana persuaded him to come"

"Oh-o-UNOHANA?"

Renji looked to him, as if he'd only just learnt the earth was round.

"You didn't know?"

Ichigo flailed

"WHAT? NO! You mean that beast of a man can get her, and I can't even get R-"

"Yes?"

"Nevermind" He finished, exasperated. Why he was so pissed off, he didn't have a clue, perhaps he just presumed the man would never find a wife, and took some weird kind of comfort in it. Whatever, he was pissed off now, and to make it worse, he was there, standing, holding Rukia, chuckling in conversation with her. Ichigo growled to Renji

"C'mon" And grabbed the nearest female to him. (She almost squealed in delight) Renji did the same, and both went to stand at the opposite end of the room to Rukia – Ichigo would be able to watch her now, he decided.

'Yeah, cause that's not stalkerish at all'

'Shut-up Zangetsu'

The hollow-Zanpaktuo chuckled.

'What is this Celilidh dancing, anyway?'

Zangetsu just sighed

'Just watch'

Ichigo was brought back into reality by a booming voice

"Alllllrighty then mi wee muckers!"

Ichigo sweatdropped. That voice

"Are ye ready fo' a wee dance?"

Why, why did Ichigo have to be related to him?

He saw Renji lean into him at his side

"Hey, isn't that you-"

"No" He said abruptly.

"Okay, so the first one's a partner dance, to get you all a little loosened up!" He shouted to the rest of the room. Ichigo faced his giggling partner, unsure of what to do.

"Now, have you all got your partners?"

A dull

"Urhhh" followed, this was not enough for kurosaki Isshin

"What was that, I don't think even Zombies would've understood that"

A slightly louder

"Yeaah" Followed. Isshin frowned, and then grinned

"We'll have that boring tone gone by the nights end" Ichigo doubted it. (Little did he know . . .)

"Right, please all gather in a circle with your partners in single-file around the dance-floor please, men on the left so we have a line of women on the outside"

A swift shuffling proceeded. In position, Ichigo looked over to kenpatchi (Who appeared to be chuckling) unable to see the tiny Rukia beside him. He huffed and faced the front.

"Now, men, place your right hand on the ladies right hip" Ichigo did so, earning a small squeal from the partner beside him. He'd already decided she was loopy.

"And ladies place your left hand on your man's right shoulder" He felt a soft hand grip his shoulder firmly

"Now, with your outside foot first, both of you, take three strides forward and hop on to the opposite leg" Ichigo wanted so much to turn around and watch Byakuya do this, but he didn't have time – Renji was right behind him

"C'mon Ichigo move, we can watch Byakuya as the dance goes on" he muttered, reading the strawberries mind.

"Right" he took three steps and hopped. 'Not too much of a problem' he thought.

"Alright, now, do the same backwards, side-skip two steps away from your partner, clap, and then side-skip back to them"

Ichigo couldn't help but feel like an idiot, but he figured, at least everyone else in the room seemed to feel the same way – that is except for Renji. The man seemed to know the moves backwards, frontways and sideways. 'Oh dear' he thought.

"Great!" Isshin exclaimed "Now, hold your partner in the waltz position, and polka four steps forward" Isshin exclaimed happily. Ichigo had no idea what 'Polka' meant, but he watched Renji – he seemed to have almost lifted his partner off her feet, and swung her, skip-striding around the centre of the floor. Ichigo smirked 'moron' he grinned, until he heard his father

"Brilliant Renji! You have it down to a tee!"

Ichigo wanted to slap his father. But this was Rukia's party, and this kind of ludicrousness was what she wanted to do. And so he followed. He'd just about got it, but ended up on the other side of his partner.

He smiled

"Never mind eh? Considering we'll be partners for this one" The girl just giggled and nodded back. And he almost rolled his eyes, until, yet again, something his father said made nearly made him jump the man

"Now, men, when you get to the clap bit, move forward to the next lady this time! And that's how it goes! This is the Canadian Barn dance! We'll do one practise run with the music, stop, and then carry on with none, ready?!" The music began. And Ichigo, horrified, heard from his left (Renji)

"You utter Pillock, Kurosaki" he moved through the moments with his partner, trying to switch as they did, but all too late, he found himself with Renji on his left. Eye twitching he said

"Not a word"

"Ichigo, there's no point – everyone's here" Renji sighed.

"Were just gonna have to do it, now, woman, take my shoulder" he teased, wiggling his eyebrows. If there was ever a moment Ichigo had wanted to kill the redhead, it was now. But the music kept going, and he knew he'd have to carry on with this and just flip back to the men's side once Renji had gone.

"Aye" He sighed, defeated, and placed his hand on Renji's shoulder. The music began again, and they strode forward.

Rukia looked on from over Kenpatchi's shoulder mid-dance (they'd forgotten to swap) and found herself watching Ichigo and Renji dancing together. She let out a loud mirthful laugh, with the rest of the room watching her, they looked upon her source of glee, and laughed with her. She motioned to a cameraman who had been snapping pictures of the night, and motioned to Renji and Ichigo now Polkaing around the room, Renji almost lifting Ichigo through the dance. The air seemed to get lighter, and she turned to Kenpatchi who grinned back at her.

"Let's have fun!" She yelled over the music, kicking her shoes off and throwing them to the side

"Aye!" He replied, and continued, also lifting her through the polka.

Finding herself flung through nine partners, the music came to a stop, and she turned to the rest of the room to assess the damage. Most people had either crashed, had to run to their partner, slipped or tripped, giving the room a lighthearted atmosphere – a much more enjoyable one than the one present merely minutes ago. She looked, and saw that, like her, most of the women, bar a few, had kicked their shoes to the side, and given the men the ends of their dress if it was long. She laughed, merrily, and found Ichigo and Renji (who had resumed their original positions of men). She watched and noticed, that for once, both men were smiling without reservations, they both turned to face her at the same time, and their grins grew wider. Ichigo nodded his head to her, and then looked to his jacket, unbuttoning the front, and taking it off, throwing it to the side on a chair. He then proceeded to undo his cuffs, and top button, rolled up his sleeves, and loosened his tie. With his tousled hair he turned back and grinned at Rukia. She almost stopped breathing. With the braces, the messy hair and the shirt, Rukia was about done – she'd never seen a man look so sexy in her life, she had no idea why this small change made her heart speed so, but she realised, she wasn't the only room it had an effect on – nearly every other woman was staring at him, lustfully. Perhaps it was the arms. Rukia started to feel angry at all the ogling – they shouldn't be looking at him like that, he was much younger than all of them!

'Just like you'

'PISS OFF!' She yelled to a chortling Sode no Shirayuki. Luckily for the women in the room, Renji (And some of the other men) had decided to do the same as Ichigo, and their attention was, again, luckily, diverted.

'Hmph, good' she thought. Turning her attention back to her partner, who she realised now, was the one and only Nii-sama. She hoped to the gods he didn't notice her ogling at Ichigo. But when she did focus on him, she noticed, he seemed to be trying extremely hard to keep his usual face, he, like everyone else seemed a little less composed. But this was unusual

"Nii-sama, is something wrong?" she worried. Her brother just shook his head, avoiding her gaze. She seriously began to worry, but before she could say anything else, Isshin spoke up again

"That was brilliant folks, now, our next dance will be The Dashing White Sergeant! Are we ready?" After a resounding cheer from the guests, Isshin explained the rules and the music finally started playing. In Rukia's line there was her, Nii-sama and Yoruichi. At first her brother seemed alarmed, but relaxed after the music started. Halfway through, Rukia, much like the rest of the room, was completely hyper, laughing and smiling as she traversed through and with different people. As expected, a conundrum ensued, and her Byakuya and Yoruichi were left to dancing y themselves for this moment. Yoruichi looked upon Rukia and smiled, the girl was dancing, rather like a monkey, by herself, and laughing, watching her friends laugh and have a good time. She then turned to Byakuya, who had long been losing his facade, and upon a move where Rukia decided to hop up and down with him, pretending to scratch her armpits and abruptly, fall over, he burst out laughing. Yoruichi grinned like the Cheshire cat.

'Finally' she thought. She watched as the man she'd seen grow up to be a masked, cold strict follower-of-the-rules, lent a hand out to his little sister laughing at her expense. Yoruichi watched as Rukia appeared flabbergasted at her brothers laughing, before beginning to laugh with him, as he the last one to do it, took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves and loosened his button and tie. It had been too long since she saw him as he naturally was – a good-hearted, competitive, compassionate older brother.

They finally met with Ichigo, Renji and the girl Ichigo had been dancing with at the very beginning. Rukia was too hyper to be annoyed, she just kept her eyes on Ichigo the whole time, whether he noticed or not, she didn't even care, all she was concerned with, was the fact there was a sexily-dressed, slightly sweaty out-of-breath man-from-her-heart gallivanting about in front of her. Finally it was her turn to spin with him. He took her hands into his own, large warm, slightly damp ones, and gripped them tight. She lifted her head to meet his eyes. He was staring just as intently back at her, grinning like an idiot, for once, with no scowl in sight, but a slightly mischievous expression instead.

She mimicked it, grinning like an idiot, knowing exactly what he was about to do. He jumped up, and Rukia went absolutely flying. She could feel herself completely propelled off the floor, her feet only grazing it occasionally, she giggled with glee as he span her round the room, and he laughed along with her, enjoying the sound of her voice in such mirth, the music slowed to a stop, and so did he, setting her back on her feet gently. Rukia however, was tremendously dizzy. Laughing and flailing about she crashed straight back into Ichigo, who gently held her by her forearms, grinning at her inability to stand.

"I-ich-chigo, what have you d-done to me?" She laughed, her body slowly rocking back and forth, side-to-side.

He sniggered at her

"Got rid of your brain by the looks of it"

She just laughed back

"It seems so!" She grinned, leaning into him for support, her head and chest leaning on his. She smiled at the warmth he emitted, laying a hand on his chest feeling the hard muscle that had developed beneath, the result of him working so hard to be able to protect his friends. Gently pressing the side of her face into his abs, she breathed in the mixture of sweat, aftershave and that Ichigo-smell she loved so much, smiling softly. She'd forgotten all about her audience, and the fact Ichigo was awake and fully aware of what she was doing.

Ichigo felt his ears go pink, he did not want to move from this position, so much did he want just to encircle his arms around the petite little woman and bury his face in her hair, and just stay there, forever. But he could see the livid expression of his female partner from before, somehow having managed to end up with him for the second dance. Renji, too looked annoyed, but strangely, slightly relieved and almost happy – his face was conflicting with itself, at any other time, Ichigo would've laughed right at him and asked what he looked so constipated about. But then he knew, he knew Renji was jealous that it wasn't him Rukia was leaning into, but at the same time, he cared enough to want her to be happy, no matter what, and happy she'd picked someone able to shoulder her grief – he knew that if he were in Renji's shoes, he would feel exactly the same (But only if it were Renji ). As he turned to face Byakuya, he almost jumped back in surprise, the said man was watching his little sister intently with a soft expression upon his face, his face was completely unmasked, and Ichigo noticed, for the first time, his attire.

'No. Way.'

'You should've seen it before when Rukia fell over, he laughed' replied a just-as-incredulous Zangetsu

'He laughed?'

'Yup'

'NO. WAY!'

Ichigo watched as Byakuya looked at his sister, still with a soft expression, and almost a hint of a smile. Ichigo was completely flabbergasted to say the least. But that was short as his father introduced the next dance.

After the two hours of Ceilidh dancing, it was safe to say the rest of the guests were just as dizzy and happy as Rukia, the only exceptions being the girl Ichigo had danced with at the beginning, and a few others of him and Renji's fan groups. The neither of them cared though. None of them had taken off their shoes like the rest of the women, and actually let their hair down, even Nanao and Unohana had! Ichigo, ironically, couldn't stand girls who took themselves so seriously – after all, who would ever want to really stick with a woman who looks pretty, but doesn't actually seem to have a soul – at least that was his opinion, the same was to be said for Renji, and the rest of the men at the party – they had all ended up laughing and chattering with the less 'appealing' appearing women by the end of the night, happy to be in the company of genuinely happy people. He almost laughed to himself, it was weird to see all the 'popular' girls without a partner and the rest with at least two boys accompanying them. Rukia really did know how to make people feel comfortable, he smiled.

Through all the different dances they'd gone through, Ichigo had managed to have one pairing-dance with Rukia, which involved high-speed music, hysterical laughter, and Rukia standing upon his shoes for the majority of it, it was weird how that relatively insignificant little moment had been one of the happiest in his whole life, and he just hoped the cameraman had managed to snap a picture of it (He had). Another thing he hadn't realised until he actually danced with them, was that Rukia had invited his sisters too. He had another thing to thank her for – seeing Karin laughing and squealing just as much as Yuzu, at the same thing, was another highlight of the night. After holding them both up with one arm, and spinning them simultaneously, they'd ended up in a giggling heap, along with Rukia for a full two minutes, until they could all muster the strength to get back up without falling over from dizziness.

Ichigo was brought out of the new memories by a sharp

"Now, are we ready for the next part of the evening?" From his father. The guests all turned to look at him in confusion – they like Ichigo had presumed they'd be going straight into the drinking and talking part of the night (the bar had obviously been open all night, and most people had had one or two, but the rest was for later, they had decided). Isshin grinned

"I'd like you to give a warm welcome to our fellow guests here tonight" he motioned over to the band behind him, as people began to recognise them, incredulousness spread throughout the room.

"How did she get _them_?"

"When were _they_ part of the evening?"

As the mummers ensued, Rukia came out of nowhere, and smiled to her guests

"It was a little surprise for you all"

She grinned, and locked eyes onto Ichigo

"This is my way of saying thank you"

Ichigo was at a loss for words, why did she need to thank him? But as she walked away and the lead stepped up to the mic, he saw another figure walk up to the group. He recognised them

"Renji?"

And as he spoke, the said man pulled the band out of his hear, and began to take off his shirt. He heard a shrill yell from somewhere to the left

"What are you _doing_ Renji?"

The voice was Rukia's. Renji replied

"Helping them out" He grinned. His shirt fully off, he grabbed a red guitar leaning by an amp and pulled a strap over his head. Looking similar to the lead singer, with the shirtless, long haired, kilt get-up, the women in the room had turned to jelly. No-one had ever seen Renji do this before. Finally the lead singer spoke

"Al'righ' now, tha' was a lo' o' fun eh?" he spoke to the (now formed) small crowd. They had joined in with a majority of the dancing, separately, no-one had recognised them until now.

"Righ' we'll be your entertainment for the next hour and a half! If you don't know us, we're called Biffy Clyro! Hope you guys have fun!" He yelled, abruptly starting the music.

* * *

Okay! Loooonggg, chapter, I am sorry of it took ages to read, but if you read until here, hugs and kisses of thanks, truly! I know it seems a bit random, but Ceilidh dancing is so fun, we had to do it in school every year neaqr Christmas, and then in december, my brother got married, and we did it then too - it was just so funny! the mixture of con fusion, crashing, falling tripping, laughing and fast music really livened up the atmosphere, and, ah, it was just amazing! xD Didn't include the rest of the ceilidh dances, because there's so many - seriously, google a list of them, there's about 25 (And we did them _all -_ well, to the best of our abilities - at my brothers wedding. By the end of it, everyone was in fits of laughter and everything, absolutely brilliant! xD

Oh, and how annoying is it, when you write the first bit of the chapter somewhere else, and then _forget_ to send it yourself? Was so annoyed at myself last night DX

But yeah, will be continued in the next chapter, called 'Biffy' :D Hope you enjoyed it!


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